I was in Upper Bangor this morning, passing the two old theological seminaries— y Coleg Gwyn on the left and Bala-Bangor on the right. Looking at the buildings, now closed, I feel a sense of hiraeth — not for a building or an institution, but for a unique Welsh theological tradition that is rapidly disappearing from view.
Wales was once a cradle of a distinctive theology, born out of our nonconformity and courageous dissent — a faith strong enough to stand apart. Ordinary people read the Bible through the lens of a minority nation and culture. People exploited by landowners and the barons of the Industrial Revolution, yet discovering purpose and the dignity of every individual in the glorious gospel they heard on Sundays. That same gospel was not only a force for revival as people experienced forgiveness, but also a social foundation for reform and political change in due course. This was the gospel in its fullness.
But today, we are losing that voice and way of thinking, turning instead to a “soft-cover Christianity” shaped by the latest trends of celebrity preachers, often from America.
Although I myself have ventured into the world of TikTok recently, a faith that depends on trends and short clips is a fragile one.
Perhaps this explains why many churches and Christians in Wales are unprepared for the political, cultural, and spiritual changes ahead of us? Without deep roots, it is easy to be shaken and lured toward something very different from the Christianity that has sustained the witness among us for centuries.
The Coleg Gwyn and Bala-Bangor — the Welsh Congregationalist’s seminary, HQ of Dr. R. Tudur Jones — shaped a robust Welsh theology over time, our own distinctive Protestant form of Liberation Theology. This tradition was not an oddity, but a Spirit-led wellspring of wisdom for its day.
But today, with the doors now closed, the question is whether we have the will and whether we see the need to rediscover this tradition. Without it, Welsh Christianity could lose not only its theological seminaries, but also its prophetic voice and its ability to discern the guidance of Jesus for the specific context to which God has called us as witnesses.
